Perhaps you grew up dreaming of receiving your Hogwarts letter, or stumbling upon Narnia. Perhaps you long to visit Pemberley, to Defy Gravity, or to go to the ball. I will write you that letter, and build you that wardrobe. [A metaphorical wardrobe, that is.] Here you will find step-by-step lesson plans with takeaway homework assignments that show you how to embody fictional heroines in the everyday. This means chasing your dreams and making the impossible happen with your own inner magic.

charlene kaye’s music is dominating my itunes right now. animal love is one of those songs that i always feel like listening to, even if i just finished listening to it a moment ago. her albums are the authentic, capturing-life kind of music that i can listen to on shuffle and repeat all day. my favorite kind of lyrics – the kind that blend into the song perfectly, but on the twentieth listen-through a phrase will strike for the first time and realization hits: this is not just fun to listen to but so true. in concert charlene is just as energetic as her recordings suggest (except it’s a controlled, directed, quiet energy. it’s cool.). she wears all white and so does her band (they’re such a team) but it’s with the edge of a fringe jacket. and she performs barefoot. ★

cords are messy and tangly and take up space. my new charge and go (by dci, the masterminds behind the tea duck and pop quiz clock), from urban outfitters, is not only adorable and pink, but also allows me to part with the above trio of wiry things. it is advertised as a “multi-use usb phone charger” but i am pleased to be using all three ports, as the micro and mini usbs connect to my kindle and camera. (and the iphone plug charges my…iphone.). i charge everything i can through my computer (especially because i have a uk adaptor for my laptop charger, so i don’t have to deal with messy conversions), so this makes doing so that much easier. ★

^ spotted in soho, one of those sights deemed worthy of digging out the fancy camera

the accessories: yellow walk signs and traffic lights and matching city cabs. the green street signs, the grey lampposts, the long wide streets and borders of sidewalk. the buildings: a wide copper one dominating the square, a strip of colored triangles crawling up the side of another in the distance, creating the illusion of dimension. one moment ago i was lost in my own head, calculating the time, planning my path. this is america, this is new york. for the most part – and there is much of it – it is a predictable grid, so much so that i lose focus of my surroundings, being used to their pattern. but certain corners strike me. ★

Here at Heroine Training you will find lessons about embodying fictional heroines in the everyday. I’m Xandra, your headmistress, a Gryffindor and self-proclaimed Disney princess. I live in the storybook city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Read more